Orexigen Therapeutics : Completion of Enrollment in Second of Four Phase III Clinical Trials for Contrave

Apr 22, 2008 - Orexigen(R) Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: OREX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of central nervous system disorders, including obesity, today announced completion of enrollment in NB-301, the largest of its Phase III clinical trials, for Contrave(R), its lead obesity product candidate. This represents completion of enrollment in the second of four Phase III trials of Contrave.

The NB-301 clinical trial is a placebo-controlled, 56-week study intended to analyze the efficacy, safety and tolerability of two doses of Contrave in generally healthy obese patients. This trial is taking place at 34 centers nationwide and has randomized approximately 1742 patients... Orexigen's Press Release -

Znomics : Drug Discovery Program in Obesity Using Proprietary In Vivo Screening Model

Apr 15, 2008 - Znomics, Inc. (OTCBB:ZNOM), a pioneer in the development of the zebrafish as a vertebrate genetic platform to accelerate drug discovery, announced today the launch of a program to find lead drug compounds for the treatment of obesity.

Znomics obtained from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) an exclusive biological license to a genetic model of obesity using the zebrafish developed in the OHSU laboratory of Znomics' co-founder Roger Cone, Ph.D., a leading international researcher in the field of weight regulation. Under the direction of Stephane Berghmans, director of drug discovery at Znomics, the company intends to refine Dr. Cone's obesity model for use in the screening of small molecule compounds. The company aims to identify pre-clinical drug candidates for obesity and to partner with a pharmaceutical or biotechnology company to advance these candidates into human clinical studies... Znomics' Press Release -

Pacific Biometrics : Research Contracts as Part of Global Phase I and II Diabetes and Obesity Programs

April 3, 2008 - Pacific Biometrics, Inc. (PBI) (OTCBB: PBME) has been awarded a series of contracts with a top multinational pharmaceutical company (the “Sponsor”) to provide essential laboratory data for a global Phase I and Phase II metabolic disease program. These contracts are part of a series of seven contracts related to clinical trials that form part of a global development program for an innovative approach for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.
PBI will provide the Sponsor with testing of metabolic markers and gut hormones on samples collected to support the Sponsor’s clinical development program. Testing has already commenced and is anticipated to be completed by the end of the first quarter of calendar 2009, although additional studies may be added to the program. PBI estimates total revenue over the expected life of these contracts at over $800,000... Pacific Biometrics' Press Release -

University of Virginia : DiaKine's Lisofylline Reduces Obesity-Related Inflammation and Insulin Resistance

April 16, 2008 - -DiaKine Therapeutics announced that its developmental drug Lisofylline (LSF), significantly reduced indicators of inflammation in visceral fat tissue that are predictive of heart disease and diabetes risk, according to results of a pre-clinical study presented at the Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology Annual Conference 2008.

“This study using ‘Western’ type high-fat, diet fed obese mice, suggests that medications with the actions of LSF could reduce inflammation and insulin resistance associated with central obesity – therefore providing a novel opportunity to treat heart disease and prevent type 2 diabetes development... [PDF] DiaKine's Press Release -

SCN, Scandinavian Clinical Nutrition : diagnosis and research in the field of virus‐induced obesity

April 8, 2008 - SCN has signed a world‐wide license agreement for the patent rights to the obesity related virus adenovirus 36 (AD36). The agreement is signed between SCN and the internationally renowned researcher and Professor Richard L. Atkinson. In conjunction with the agreement, SCN has initiated additional research cooperation with Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, one of Europe’s leading medical universities, and Professor Atkinson. SCN aims for a commercial launch of its first diagnostic tests within six to twelve months.
Professor Atkinson comments; “The results from a number of research projects indicate that between 30 and 57 percent of obese people and as much as 18 percent of lean people could be infected by the human adenovirus AD36.” Results from animal testing show that nearly all individuals infected by the virus had significantly more fat compared with a control group of lean animals, even though their food intake was in fact less... [PDF] Scandinavian Clinical Nutrition's press Release -

Memory Pharmaceuticals : Advance Development and Clinical Programs

March 12, 2008 - Memory Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Nasdaq: MEMY) announced that it has realigned its operations, reallocated its resources and extended the preclinical research portion of its PDE10 collaboration with Amgen. The Company will focus its near-term and mid- term efforts on two partnered programs, its nicotinic alpha-7 receptor agonist collaboration with Roche and the PDE10 collaboration with Amgen, and two proprietary programs, its PDE4 inhibitor and 5-HT6 antagonist programs...(...)
- 5-HT6 Antagonist Program. 5-HT6 antagonists are potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder and obesity. Memory Pharmaceuticals has generated a portfolio of novel, potent and selective 5-HT6 antagonists and is evaluating several lead compounds as potential development candidates. The Company plans to advance the program into clinical trials by the end of 2008... Memory Pharmaceuticals' Press Release -

Genaera Corporation : MSI-1436 Data Presented at Society of Neuroscience Meeting

March 28th, 2008 - Genaera Corporation (NASDAQ: GENR) announced that preclinical data was presented Thursday at the Chicago Chapter of the Society of Neuroscience by Mitchell F. Roitman, Ph.D., a Genaera collaborator and investigator with the University of Illinois at Chicago. The abstract titled “A novel anti-obesity drug MSI-1436 does not alter the rate of dopamine uptake via the dopamine transporter,” demonstrates that MSI-1436 does not inhibit the dopamine transporter in vivo by directly measuring dopamine levels in the brain of rats after MSI-1436 administration.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter found in the brain which can have affects on locomotor function and addictive behavior. Many drugs that reduce food intake and body weight affect the rate of dopamine reuptake by inhibiting the dopamine transporter (DAT), such as amphetamine and bupropion. Such compounds, which inhibit the dopamine transporter, are considered undesirable as weight-loss drugs since they affect locomotor behavior and may have high addictive potential... Genaera 's Press Release -

Merck : Phase III Data Showed Taranabant, its Investigational Medicine to Treat Obesity, Led to Statistically Significant Weight Loss

March 31, 2008 - Fifty-two week results of a two-year Phase III study of taranabant, Merck's investigational cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1R) blocker, showed patients experienced statistically significant weight loss when taking the drug in combination with diet and exercise. These findings were presented today at the 57th annual scientific session of the American College of Cardiology... Merck's Press Release -

VIVUS : Enrollment in Phase 3 EQUIP (OB-302) Tria

March 27, 2008--VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of novel therapeutic products, announced that it has completed enrollment in the first of two pivotal phase 3 studies of Qnexa(TM) in obese patients. The EQUIP study (OB-302) has enrolled over 1,250 morbidly obese patients with a Body Mass Index ("BMI") that equals or exceeds 35. The co-primary endpoints for these studies are the mean percent weight loss and the percentage of subjects achieving weight loss of 5% or more... VIVUS' Press Release -